Columbia woman to serve as civilian diplomat in Iran

By REBECCA H. ROMANO

April 28, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CDT

Lily Tinker Fortel is taking a 12-day trip to Iran as a civilian diplomat with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, an interfaith organization, to promote peace through conversational diplomacy. She hopes to gain "a better understanding of the Iranians, their culture and beliefs."